Jacques Delors

Jacques Delors (20 July 1925-) was President of the European Commission from 7 January 1985 to 24 January 1995, succeeding Gaston Thorn and preceding Jacques Santer. Delors served as Minister of Finance of France from 22 May 1981 to 17 July 1984, succeeding Rene Monory and preceding Pierre Beregovoy.

Biography
Jacques Delors was born in Paris, France on 20 July 1925, and he followed a university degree in economics by working for the Bank of France from 1945 to 1961. He was also active in the Christian trade union movement, and he joined the Socialist Party of France in 1974. Delors became Francois Mitterrand's spokesperson for econiomic affairs, and he served as his powerful minister of economics and finance after Mitterrand won the 1981 election. Delors served as President of the European Commission from 1985 to 1995, and he was the architect of major structural reforms which entailed an overhaul of the EC's finances and agricultural policies, as well as the introduction of majority voting. He also supported further European integration, which he promoted effectively and successfully through the Single European Act and the Maastricht Treaty, which committed EU members to the introduction of a single currency by the year 2000. He enjoyed considerable popularity in continental Europe, and was widely tipped to become a candidate in the French presidential elections in 1995, as polls indicated that he stood by far the best change of winning. However, he decided to retire, and he was active in promoting the ideals of the treaty.